80
The New York Times by Stephen Holden
The movie is truly a tree-hugger's delight (I confess to being one such hugger) that makes the most of its metaphors without straining toward supernatural schmaltz.
The Tree
Critic Rating
(read reviews)User Rating
- France,
- Australia,
- Germany,
- Italy
- 2010
- · 100m
Director
Julie Bertuccelli
Cast
Charlotte Gainsbourg,
Morgan Davies,
Márton Csókás,
Christian Byers,
Tom Russell,
Gabriel Gotting
Genre
Drama
The O'Neills lived happily in their house in the Australian countryside. That was until the sudden death of Peter, the father, leaving his grieving wife Dawn alone with their four children. Among them, eight-year-old Simone denies this reality, believing that her father still lives in the giant fig tree growing near their house.
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What are critics saying?
75
New York Post by V.A. Musetto
Be warned: The Tree is slow-moving, but if given a chance, it will (pardon the pun) grow on you.
75
New Orleans Times-Picayune by Mike Scott
A movie with undeniable melancholy underpinnings, but Bertuccelli wisely avoids overdoing the drama to nurse cheap tears from her audience.
75
Philadelphia Inquirer by Steven Rea
Despite the potential for some supernatural grandiosity, the tone here remains understated and quiet, and Gainsbourg's performance feels lived-in, and deep, and right.
75
St. Louis Post-Dispatch by Calvin Wilson
The Tree might have suffered from too much symbolism if not for writer-director Julie Bertuccelli's deft touch and Gainsbourg's appealing performance.
67
The A.V. Club by Noel Murray
Yes, the idea that the tree/father is literally tearing this family apart is way too blunt, but Gainsbourg and Davies sell it by playing the scenes naturally, with minimal histrionics.
63
Boston Globe by Wesley Morris
This is an easy movie to watch. If only Julie Bertuccelli had more trust in her most interesting stuff.
60
Boxoffice Magazine by Richard Mowe
Stunningly shot by cinematographer Nigel Bluck (Handsome Harry) the film captures beautifully the magic of the foliage and the surrounding landscapes.
60
New York Daily News by Joe Neumaier
Falls short of being revelatory, yet has a mysterious, sturdy power that grows on you.
60
Time Out
The movie's mundane account of moving on is ultimately more gripping than its wooden metaphors.
60
Time Out by Sam Adams
The movie's mundane account of moving on is ultimately more gripping than its wooden metaphors.
55
NPR by Scott Tobias
On a technical level, The Tree marks a significant advance over the humble utility of Bertuccelli's previous film, drinking in Australia's pastoral majesty with an abundant eye for beauty that falls just short of the intended poetry. Yet the characters aren't nearly as resonant.
50
Village Voice by Melissa Anderson
In her second film, writer-director Julie Bertuccelli, adapting Judy Pascoe's 2002 novel, "Our Father Who Art in the Tree," is sometimes partial to clumsy dialogue and scattershot pacing.
50
The Globe and Mail (Toronto) by Liam Lacey
By the time we reach the climactic ending, the script clearly calls for an exorcist with a chainsaw to trim back this metaphor run amok.
50
Slant Magazine by Andrew Schenker
This is one film that's overly reliant on a dubious central symbol, schematically employed.
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